


Time Jump

by queenssaviour



Series: Swan Queen Week (Summer 2015) [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, I wanted to call this Time Jump Chronicles because of OINTB but I didn't :(, Magical Accidents, Season 1, Swan Queen Week, Swan Queen Week Summer 2015, Swan-Mills Family, Time Travel, season 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-08-11
Packaged: 2018-04-09 12:52:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4349543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenssaviour/pseuds/queenssaviour
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"There's something different about you, Miss Swan," Regina said, her brow adorably scrunched and her voice menacing in a way Emma hadn't heard it in ages. This banter almost made her feel nostalgic, which was worrisome to say the least.</p><p>Written for Swan Queen Week, Day Three: Time Travel</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Set during s4, probably, but no one's dating anyone. Yey.
> 
> I don't own OUAT (sadly).
> 
> A big thank you to my lovely beta, Ari. She's my Savior.

It all started with Emma touching something she wasn't supposed to.

She was in Regina's crypt to learn more about magic, but clumsy as she was, she unintentionally ended up touching something small but powerful.

She really didn't mean to touch anything without permission. She knew better than to disobey Regina's orders, but then she was casually leaning on a table and it happened: she dropped a small locket from the table and tried to put it back without Regina noticing.

She should've just told Regina, because the next moment, she felt a pull similar to that of a portal toss her somewhere with such force she was sure she'd have bruises the next day. Funnily enough, she was still in Regina's crypt, but Regina was nowhere to be seen. Her first thought was worry: what if something had happened to Regina?

She soon realized that couldn't be the case, because she was obviously the one who had moved. Maybe she was in another dimension. Who knew?

Emma was relieved to notice that she could still get out of the crypt without much trouble. Her top priority was finding Regina. She had to be somewhere; Emma couldn't have just made her disappear. She didn't want to live in a Storybrooke, or in a world, where Regina didn't exist. Regina was her… friend, co-parent, someone whose feelings towards her were something of a mystery. She really couldn't imagine life without her anymore.

Things sure had changed since her arrival in Storybrooke.

She made her way to 108 Mifflin Street on foot as she was unable to transport herself magically for some reason. The thought of losing her magic made her anxious. What had happened to her?

She walked through the steel gate of the manor as usual, her thoughts elsewhere, and knocked on the door. After a while, she could hear a familiar click of heels approach. Regina was inside. _Thank God._

She was so relieved to know Regina was home that as soon as the door opened, Emma rushed forward and flung her arms around her in a hug. They had never actually hugged before, but they had established that they were friends, very good ones who fought side by side and shared a child, so, in the heat of the moment, she thought that she might as well give Regina a hug.

The woman in her embrace seemed to disagree. Before Emma had time to say anything, Regina's form stiffened and she pushed Emma away with more force than necessary.

"Miss Swan, have you completely lost your mind?" Regina barked.

That's when she saw it. She really should've taken a longer look at Regina before rushing to hug her. In addition to her irritated, flustered expression and tense posture, Regina's hair was much shorter than it had been in the crypt. Really short.

Emma's mouth fell open. She had seen enough movies and watched enough television to know what had happened. She had also traveled back in time before and met Regina's past self, so she didn't know why she was so surprised, but she was. Seeing Regina before they were friends, or even people who tolerated each other, was peculiar. Peculiar and heartbreaking, because she really wanted to talk to her friend and go home, but her friend wasn't there.

This time Regina wouldn't be sentencing her to death like she had in the Enchanted Forest, so at least this was an improvement from her previous time jump.

"Miss Swan? I'm waiting," Regina spoke again.

"I'm sorry, I…" Emma didn't know how to finish her sentence. She really couldn't tell Regina what was going on, could she? That would alter the past. Would Regina ever give her that apple turnover if she knew the curse would be broken? "I thought you were Mary Margaret."

Had Emma not been so uneasy about the situation, Regina's shocked expression would've made her dissolve into laughter.

"Excuse me?" Regina said, her voice high and incredulous. "I bear no resemblance to Miss Blanchard. Why would you think she's here, anyway?"

Emma really should've tried to play her part better and taken this situation more seriously, but she couldn't stop her lips from twitching into a smile. Regina was adorable.

"Must've been the… hair color," she answered as nonchalantly as she could. She tried to hide her smirk, but Regina must've seen right through her.

"The hair color? Do you honestly expect me to believe that, Miss Swan?" Regina crossed her arms and looked unimpressed, her irritation only growing.

Emma went through her options. She really couldn't tell Regina she was from the future. Since the curse was still far from breaking, Emma guessed there weren't any memory potions she could use on Regina lying around. Would a memory potion even work? She wished she had asked Regina about these things, or maybe Regina had told her, but she was just a bad student.

How would she get back to her time without telling Regina what was going on or asking someone else for help? There was no one else other than Regina and Rumpelstiltskin to ask, anyway.

"There's something different about you, Miss Swan," Regina said when she got no answer, her brow adorably scrunched and her voice menacing in a way Emma hadn't heard it in ages. This banter almost made her feel nostalgic, which was worrisome to say the least.

_If you only knew._

"Yeah, well, people change," she replied and mentally smacked herself on the head. _People change?_ That was what she was going with?

"Not like this, they don't," Regina said as she walked closer. Emma got a whiff of the expensive perfume she hadn't smelled in years, Regina having worn it only before the curse broke. "So, Miss Swan, refresh my memory. What did we discuss the last time we talked?"

Emma shut her eyes. _No._

"Henry," she answered, even though it sounded more like a question, her intonation rising at the end of the word as she opened her eyes and tried to look normal.

"Uh-hmm," Regina muttered and pulled a cell phone from her pocket as she walked back into the mansion. "Do come in, Miss Swan. I'm sure we have loads to talk about today."

Emma couldn't remember when she had last wanted in run to the opposite direction of Regina this much, but she obliged and walked in, hearing Regina close the door behind them and call someone.

"Graham," Regina started, and Emma could feel her heart clench in her chest. "Is Deputy Swan there by any chance?" Regina paused, and Emma couldn't look at her. "She is? Could you please put her on? Thank you."

Regina walked in front of her with a confused yet victorious face as she put the phone on speaker. Emma felt a lump in her throat.

"Madam Mayor," she heard her own uncertain voice say on the other end of the line. "How can I help you?"

"Nothing, Miss Swan. Something just came up. I'll let you know," Regina said and hung up.

Emma remembered having that phone call and never thinking much of it, which made her think of something new entirely. This meant that this had happened before and she had managed to make Regina forget, didn't it? She didn't know if she should've felt relieved or more nervous now that she was certain this was real. What was even going on in Regina's head right now? She was sure Regina knew this had something to do with magic.

"Any day now, Miss Swan, or whoever it is you are," Regina said with a sweet smile that was somehow threatening at the same time.

Emma felt like she was going to burst, the pros of telling Regina what was going on outweighing the cons. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, hoping that her next words wouldn't make the situation more difficult than it already was. When she opened them, she was ready to talk.

"I'm from the future. Magic. All that," she started, waving her hand nervously under Regina's gaze. "I'd really like to get back, and I probably shouldn't tell you more because we don't want this to affect anything."

"Magic?" Regina said incredulously, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms. Emma fought the urge to groan and put her face in her hands. Why on Earth was Regina still playing this part? What did she think she was, an identical twin sister of his son's birth mother?

"Yes, magic, Regina." She decided to drop the formal title she had heard herself use on the phone. "Can we just… try to get me back? I really don't wanna be here and mess stuff up."

Regina stayed quiet for a moment. She had her politician face on, which made her harder to read. Emma really wished this Regina would get over the hate towards her momentarily for the greater good.

"Also, can you like… make a memory potion or something so you won't remember this?" she asked cautiously.

Regina's calm expression cracked then, and the corners of her mouth turned into a sad sneer. "I suppose that means magic is back in the future, then? The curse breaks."

"I don't think I'm supposed to tell you what happens," Emma replied, although she doubted it mattered now. Regina knew that she was from the future. It couldn't get much worse. She had broken a handful of time travel rules already, and she hadn't even been there for an hour.

"I think that doesn't really give anything new away, Miss Swan," Regina asserted.

"Well, yeah," Emma said quietly and nodded as she put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. She felt awkward talking like this. Past Regina had never treated her like this before, like there was a quiet understanding and a sense of defeat in the conversation.

"Does Henry…" Regina started, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "Does Henry hate me? Do you take him away?"

The way Regina said it completely broke Emma's heart. There was so much fear in her voice, so much hopelessness and pain. She really wanted to hug Regina, but decided against it, figuring the Mayor wouldn't welcome her hug more now than she had ten minutes ago.

"What? Regina, no, of course not!" Emma said with so much care in her voice that she surprised herself. "You're his mother. He loves you."

"Are you playing me? Because if you are…" Regina snarled at her, looking suspicious but also a tiny bit hopeful when Emma looked into her eyes.

"No, I swear. It takes you time, but you'll get there…" She tried to think of a way to make this Regina trust and believe her like the one in her time did. Emma grabbed her phone, wondering if everything was still intact despite the jump in time. She went to her photos folder and found what she had been looking for. There were several pictures of Henry, Regina, and her together; goofy pictures where they looked like they were all very happy.

"Look," she said and showed Regina some photos. One of them was the three of them eating at Granny's, another one was them having a movie night, a third one was all three of them trying to fit into the frame for a selfie… She turned to look at Regina as she held the phone, finding that the photos had an influence on her. Regina's smile was a mixture of relieved and confused, but Emma supposed that was normal. Both Emma's involvement in the pictures and the proof that things would actually work out would've left her past self open-mouthed, too.

"Thank you," Regina whispered after Emma put her phone back into her pocket.

"Sure," Emma shrugged and smiled at Regina. She was happy she could talk to her again without the hostile atmosphere.

"So, judging by your pictures, I assume that in the future we are… involved," Regina said as she brushed away an invisible tear from her cheek. "That would explain the hug."

"Involved?" she repeated. Yes, they shared a son. That was more involvement than most friends had.

"Yes, Miss Swan, like parents of a child often are," Regina specified as she crossed her arms again and raised an expectant brow.

"Um," Emma started, realization dawning on her. Did Regina think that they were a couple in the future? Did she actually mean that? "Um… Well… I didn't know you..." she mumbled, unable to form a coherent sentence as she was feeling a dozen emotions at once. If she was completely honest with herself, she did have a bunch of one-sided non-platonic emotions towards Regina, but she had learned to live with them. She could feel herself blush. "Really?"

"I was the one asking you a question, Miss Swan," Regina said as she rolled her eyes.

She didn't have time to answer, because that's when she heard a fast click of heels approaching them. She could see Regina's eyes widen before she turned to see who had arrived, only to be met with the same face she had just been looking at. Only that this Regina was the one from her time, wearing the same clothes she had when they had been in the crypt. Her expression was filled with relief and she walked quickly towards them.

"Emma, I found you," she breathed out and hugged her without any hesitation, which surprised Emma. They had never greeted each other like this before, but Emma wasn't about to start complaining. She brought her arms around Regina and enjoyed every second of the hug. "I was observing and overheard some of your conversation, so I knew I had found the right you," Regina muttered into the hug. "I told you not to touch anything."

"Yeah, sorry. I really didn't mean to," Emma mumbled, very reluctant to let go.

"Oh God," the younger Regina said, and Emma could practically feel her roll her eyes despite the woman standing behind her. "So, I think this answers my question."

"What question would that be?" the older Regina asked as she broke the hug and turned to look at her younger self without a flinch.

"You don't know?" Emma asked. That was good news. "That means we somehow make it work and make you forget! I remember the phone call I got, but you don't remember any of this."

"Yes, well, I brought a memory potion with me in case it would be needed. I know this me has the resources to make something, too, but I had some in store. I thought you might reveal some future information without thinking, so I figured I should be prepared," Regina shrugged. She didn't look particularly mad about the turn of events, but just treated them as fact.

"Hey! I didn't mean to. She figured it out, so I just thought I'd tell her and we'd sort it out somehow. I didn't know how I'd get back so I had to do _something_ ," she tried to defend herself. She really had remembered that she wasn't supposed to meddle in past events, but she had been caught.

"But of course I'd come to get you back," Regina said with a confused expression and brought a hand to her arm. "I couldn't just leave you to who knows what time."

Emma was speechless for a moment. The emotion in Regina's eyes caught her completely off guard; there was so much care there that she didn't know how to react. "I'm sorry, I'm…. I'm not used to people coming back for me." The truth came out of her without thought.

"Well, get used to it," Regina said in a sweet encouraging voice after a moment of silence. "We're going back to our time before we meddle in anything else, and we'll be having dinner with Henry before you know it."

Regina smiled at her and she felt like she could melt. After the uncertainty and slight panic that had followed her ending up in the wrong time, she finally felt like everything would be okay. Regina made her feel safe and like things would work out.

"Sounds like a plan," Emma said contently and turned around to face the other Regina who had been incredibly quiet the entire time. "You need to drink your memory potion first, though," she reminded her.

"Yes. I suppose you're right, Miss Swan." The short-haired woman uncrossed her arms and sighed loudly. "Finally, something we can agree on," she continued as she walked closer.

Emma turned to her Regina as she fought a snigger and was met with knowing eyes. Some things never changed.

The other Regina saw their reaction to her words, but chose not to comment on it. What came out of her mouth instead was something Emma wouldn't have expected to have to explain in front of her Regina.

"So, before you go and I take the potion, I have… Well, I would have quite a few questions, but I'd better not ask those in case the potion doesn't work for some reason. Everything's so unpredictable in this realm. But tell me this: how long?" she queried with disbelief in her eyes. "And… just… how?"

"I'm not following," the older Regina admitted to her past self. "What is it that you're asking?"

The younger Regina looked from her older self to Emma with puzzled eyes, her cool composure starting to falter. "Miss… Emma, you didn't deny it before."

"Um, well," she managed to get out. She really hadn't had time to address Regina's false implication because that's when the other Regina had arrived. "I never actually…"

"Emma, what are you talking about? What are _you_ talking about?" the long-haired brunette asked herself.

"I'm asking," the short-haired woman started, uncertainty dawning on her face, "when you and Emma became a couple."

"What? Where did you get that idea?" future Regina barked. She stopped for a moment to stare at herself, but soon continued, "Emma and I are best friends, sure, but there's nothing else between us. And yes, we have learned to mend our differences and care for one another, but just as friends."

Emma looked at Regina rushing to explain how there was nothing going on between them until she saw past Regina nearly sniggering at herself, her eyebrows raised and her chest rising as if she was trying to keep herself from laughing. Emma had a hunch as to why past Regina was laughing, because she too could easily tell that future Regina wasn't being completely honest.

"I can't believe what I've become..." past Regina said as she shook her head. "Well, I have Henry back, and I don't seem unhappy… There's something I see in Miss Swan, apparently…"

"Yes, we are friends," future Regina repeated.

"I'd like to remind you that I am you, and even though I am not quite where you are, yet, I can still see right through you. _Emma, I found you._ Really?" the unimpressed Mayor sighed.

Silence filled the room. Young Regina was shaking her head, half amused, half disbelieving, old Regina had a blush creeping onto her cheeks and she looked like a deer in the headlights, and Emma… Emma just felt incredibly surreal standing there with two Reginas. She really hoped they would be able to return to their time soon so she would have time to breathe and think about what everything meant.

"Um, Regina?" she asked and two heads shot to look at her. "We should probably go."

Her Regina nodded as she took a flask out of her pocket. The woman walked to her past self and handed her the flask in silence, and Emma watched the two women interact without words, amazed by how similar yet different they were.

"Best of luck to you," the young Regina said to herself as she walked away from her. She stopped next to Emma and brought her mouth right next to her ear, causing goosebumps to spread across Emma's body despite the warm temperature of the manor. "She wants you so badly it's not even funny. I never knew our banter would result in this," she whispered. "But she is so deep in her denial that you will have to make the first move. She won't. I've become too soft."

Emma didn't know how to reply when the short-haired woman pulled away and smirked, so she just ended up nodding and gulping loudly. Her cheeks were burning and her mouth was dry.

"Good luck, Miss Swan," she said and walked to the living room without looking back.

"Thanks," she replied in a hoarse voice, unable to believe what she had just heard.

"What did she say?" Regina asked when her past self had left the room.

"I'll tell you later," she replied. She really didn't want to have a serious conversation about feelings then. She had no idea what she should say. "How do we get out of here?"

"Well," Regina said and pulled a familiar locket out of her pocket. "I just need to set how much time we need to go forward. I think I have it all figured out. It took me a few hours of time jumping to find you, so I should be an expert by now."

"It took you hours?"

"Luckily. It could've taken much longer," she replied without looking at Emma, her focus on the locket. "Okay, take my hand."

Regina held out her hand until Emma took it. She closed her eyes when she felt the same force as in the crypt push her.

She held on tightly as they were pulled forward in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kinda conflicted... I don't know if I wanna continue or not, but this could technically work like this, too. Let me know if you want me to write another chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT HAS BEEN 84 YEARS. Really, sorry this took forever. I wanted to finish my other story first. I'm the WORST.
> 
> Anyway, I decided to make this a two-parter. (Thank you for your comments!) 
> 
> Oh, and I forgot to mention this fic was inspired by Mari's reply to her anon. (I can't find the post.)

Emma was met with a hard surface as the portal threw her on her back. She opened her eyes, panic rising when she realized Regina wasn't holding her hand anymore. Her fingers had been intertwined with Regina's the entire time before she had been thrown into a new location, so where was Regina?

She didn't have to wonder for much longer, because a moment later Regina was thrown through the time portal right on top of her. Normally, Emma would've been paralyzed by the awkwardness of the situation, but she must have hit her head when the portal threw her out because she felt like she was right where she wanted to be.

She brought her hand to swipe a strand of Regina's hair behind her ear, but Regina didn't seem to appreciate the gesture and yanked herself off Emma quickly, a flustered expression on her face. Emma kept lying on the floor as she watched Regina get up and compose herself until she finally looked at her again.

"Are you okay?" Regina asked with a hint of distress in her voice.

"I'm great," Emma replied. They seemed to be in the mayoral mansion, which was great. Back in their own time and home. Or Regina's home. Whatever. It felt like home there.

"You don't look okay," Regina said, scrunching her face in concern.

 _That_ was uncalled for. "Hey! Just because you're the most beautiful woman on the planet doesn't give you the right to say others don't look okay," Emma retorted hastily as her eyes examined Regina. She looked really good despite all that time traveling. How did she do that?

"Okay, you've definitely hit your head," Regina said, blushing as she shook hers. "Let me help you up."

Emma let Regina pull her up, almost falling on the floor and taking Regina with her as she tried to keep her balance. She eventually managed to stand and felt Regina's hand produce healing magic near the back of her head.

"Hey, I'm fine, don't worry," she tried to protest, but Regina shook her head.

"I really don't want anything bad to happen to you. We don't even know for sure we're back in our time, even though it would definitely seem so. I can use magic," Regina said, her face still full of concern. She finally dropped her hand.

Emma felt a whole lot better. Her head wasn't spinning anymore, and she could stand normally again. She suddenly realized what she had just said to Regina, which made her groan internally. As if their trip to the past hadn't been embarrassing enough already.

"So, wait, I thought you were sure how to use the locket thing?" she said after a moment of silence.

"I might've mishandled something when we were separated, so I'm not entirely sure… Wait." Regina shushed her and brought a finger to her lips.

Emma could hear a click of heels emerging from upstairs. _Not again._

"We're still not in our time? There are two of you again?" Emma whispered.

Regina didn't answer, but took Emma's hand and pulled her towards her study. The brunette closed the door without a sound after Emma crossed the threshold, and they listened to the descending footsteps. They needed to be alert and know if someone had found their hiding place. Thankfully, they had magic now, so they could just move if the situation required it.

"Should I go there to make sure it's really you and we're in the wrong time?"

Regina scoffed. "Of course it's me."

"But still," Emma wanted to make sure. Maybe her subconscious also wanted to see a new Regina. She really wanted to just take a look. Not meddle, of course. She knew better than that and had no desire for it. "Like, we're probably in the past, anyway. It can't be anything too spoiler-y. Everything looks the same."

Regina was looking at her with her eyebrows raised. She seemed to be highly unimpressed by Emma's reasoning.

"Come on, please?" she said and gave Regina a pleading look. If past Regina's words were anything to go by, this Regina had a soft spot for her, after all, so it really couldn't hurt to try.

Their staring game was interrupted by a low voice outside the study. Emma couldn't hear what was being said, but she wondered how there was someone with such a low voice in the house so early in the morning; the clock on the mantel said it wasn't even 8 o'clock.

A horrible feeling started to form in the pit of her stomach. Was Regina together with some man in the future? Or was this the past again? Was it Graham or Robin?

Before Emma made any conscious decision to do so, she was opening the door and taking a peek into the hallway. Regina muttered angrily behind her and tried to close the door, but she was too late, because the person outside had seen Emma already.

"Mom! What are you doing there?" a rather grown-up Henry asked in amazement. "Mom said you slept in again and she couldn't get you out of bed."

Emma's mouth opened in shock. So, they were definitely neither in the past nor in their own time. Henry must've been… at least 18 years old. He was looking at Emma, his face scrunched in confusion.

"Idiot," Regina muttered under her breath. She was behind the door, so Henry couldn't see her.

Emma weighed her options. She could tell Henry that he hadn't seen anything and that he should continue his day, but she could also act normally and hope nothing worse would happen.

"Mom?" Henry repeated. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You better play your part well," Regina hissed next to her as she pushed her out of the room.

"Sorry, kid," Emma said and shook her confusion off as she made her way out of the study, leaving Regina behind. "What's up?"

Henry was eyeing her suspiciously. As Emma approached him, she realized he was now taller than her, and she tried not to show the myriad of emotions she was experiencing.

"What was the first thing I ever said to you?" Henry asked.

Emma fought a laugh. Henry was still himself, albeit taller. " _'Are you Emma Swan?_ ' Then I said yeah and asked who you were, and you said, ' _My name's Henry. I'm your son_.'" She was glad 10-year-old Henry's visit was still vivid in her mind, because there was no reason to raise more suspicion.

"Sorry, mom," Henry said as his posture relaxed and he gave her a smile. "I don't know how you got up so fast. Mom just told me you'd probably miss work because you refused to wake up."

"Yeah, well, I don't know, busy night," Emma tried to shrug the comment off with something vague. She really didn't know what to answer.

Henry scrunched his face, his distaste evident. "Ew, mom, gross. I've been scarred for life already because of you and mom. You don't have to make it worse."

 _Scarred for life because of you and mom._ Her sleeping in the house. Past Regina telling her how her Regina is obviously into her. Could this mean –

"Emma, how on Earth are you up? Did you magic yourself ready?" Regina's surprised voice was accompanied with a click of heels coming from the kitchen. "You haven't worn your hair like this in years."

Emma turned around and tried to avoid looking incredibly guilty and out of place. Regina looked as beautiful as ever, wearing slacks and a blazer and her hair a bit shorter than it was in their time. Emma tried to smile at her casually, wondering how she was supposed to look at Regina now. The other woman was smiling, so Emma did her best at trying to return the smile.

"Yeah, I did that," she replied as Regina got closer to her and Henry.

"Well, you're getting good. I'm proud," Regina said with a smile and casually pressed a kiss on Emma's cheek. "Morning."

Emma focused all her willpower on trying not to scream. Regina had kissed her. On her cheek, sure, but that would still imply that there was something other than friendship between the two of them in the future.

"Okay, I'm gonna go, my friends are waiting," Henry said as he shook his head in amusement. "You two have… fun."

Henry leaving the house left Emma alone with Regina, and she honestly didn't know what her plan was. Telling future Regina she was from the past couldn't be as harmful as telling the truth to Regina's past self, right? The worst, her finding out about the future, had already happened. She turned her gaze away from where Henry had stood and faced Regina.

"Emma, why are you so...?" Regina started, searching her face. " _No."_

"What?" What had she done? Did she have tons of wrinkles in the future, and her smooth skin had tipped Regina off?

"You're her. I knew this day would come, but it's still so… unusual to see something like this." Regina beamed at her in wonder. She was now standing very close to Emma, any personal space between them once again forgotten.

"What, how did you…?" Emma asked, her voice higher than she intended. How could Regina know?

"Well, I know I'm standing in the study right now. I remember being here. Emma… _you_ told _m_ e that we had this conversation," Regina explained and stopped for a moment. "And now you're going to go back there, and your next time jump will work because you'll be back in your Storybrooke before my Emma actually manages to wake up. I know because it has already happened to me."

"But… shouldn't we take a memory potion first or something?" If she had learned anything at all, it was that they couldn't get any spoilers for their future and risk altering the timeline.

"No, actually," Regina responded matter-of-factly. "Since I remember being in the study and my Emma remembers meeting future me, you remembering this is what's supposed to happen. You haven't found out anything crucial…" Regina shrugged. "Oh, and Emma?" She showed Emma a playful smirk and moved even closer to her so that their breaths were mingling and faces nearly touching. "You can kiss me when you go back in there. I mean, you better, because that's how I remember it and we don't want to create any paradoxes."

Emma's breath caught in her throat. Was Regina playing with her?

"Really?" Her voice was barely a meek whisper.

"Yes, please. We both know I won't make the first move, and it's long overdue," Regina let out an exasperated sigh and gave her a crooked smile. "I'm so deep in denial there. I didn't believe that you'd actually love me back. I don't think I have realized how much I love you yet. But the feelings are there, so feel free to approach the subject."

"I'm… Thanks," Emma managed to reply. She had so many questions, but she knew she wouldn't be getting answers to any of them. Regina loved her. They would be together in the future and they'd be happy and everything would be fine.

The funny thing was the realization didn't make her want to run or doubt herself and Regina's feelings, but it gave her peace. It wasn't the kind of thing she felt forced to do because of destiny (or in this case, seeing the future) or because she had no choice. This was something she had actually really wanted in the deepest corner of her thoughts, but had never really dared to hope for. Knowing her feelings would be reciprocated gave her the strength to actually start thinking about acting on them.

"Good luck, Miss Swan," Regina said and motioned her hand towards the study, a smile tugging at her lips. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to make sure you won't sleep all day and miss a day of your sheriff's duties."

Emma couldn't come up with a witty response, so she was left staring at Regina's back until the other woman reached the top of the stairs and Emma realized her Regina was still waiting for her.

She walked back into the study and opened the door as she took one last look at the point where future Regina had stood. As she entered the room, she was met with the sight of a nervous slightly younger Regina sitting on the side the couch and looking at her expectantly.

"Well? Do you need a memory potion? Will they?" Regina asked, her voice low as she stood up and approached Emma with concerned eyes.

"No, you explained everything to me there… We are going to remember, and so will they, and we shouldn't change that anymore, because that would create a paradox," she tried to explain as well as she could, stumbling on a few words as she did so.

"Really?" Regina asked. She paused for a moment and searched her face. "Emma, are you alright?"

Emma realized she must've looked incredibly nervous. She was fidgeting with the sleeve of her leather jacket, her cheeks must've been beet-red by then, and she had a hard time looking Regina in the eye without feeling butterflies starting to form in the pit of her stomach.

"Yeah, I'm…" she started, only to find her voice incredibly hoarse. She cleared her throat. "Yeah, I was just wondering if you'd like to have dinner sometime. Just us. Like a date," she finished, unable to believe she had actually managed to ask Regina. She just wanted to run in the opposite direction or dig a hole and hide there.

"What exactly did you see in there?" Regina asked instead of replying to her question. She looked doubtful and worried.

"It doesn't matter. I should've asked this a long time ago anyway," Emma asserted. She didn't want Regina to choose because of she _had_ to due to what Emma had just seen, but because she was free to choose for herself, unlike many times earlier in her life.

"Well, yes," Regina said, an uncertain smile starting to form on her lips.

"Yes what?" Emma asked. She wanted to make sure Regina was saying what she thought she was saying.

Regina rolled her eyes, her expression more carefree now. "Yes, I'd like to have dinner with you. Could you now please tell me what happened, if I seem to find out anyway?"

"Well," Emma started, feeling more confident now that Regina was smiling at her too. "I have been told twice today to make the first move, one of those times being a direct suggestion to go back into this room and just kiss you."

Regina was looking at her with wide eyes. Emma felt her mouth go dry. She felt so awkward; she couldn't believe she was in this situation and hadn't planned ahead what she should say. She was sure this could've gone a lot smoother if she had just actually thought before speaking, but she had been incredibly blunt instead.

"Well, I wasn't necessarily expecting that, but I wouldn't be opposed to the idea," Regina finally said. Her face was nearly unreadable. Even though Emma could tell she wasn't lying, she didn't know whether or not Regina meant the dinner, the kiss, or something else entirely.

"Opposed to what idea?" she said, feeling incredibly stupid asking that. Apparently that was the theme of the day. Acting like an idiot in front of Regina.

"You kissing me, Emma. Be a dear and pay attention," Regina replied in an amused tone, her eyes challenging.

Emma noticed that they were standing really close to each other – closer than usual, despite the fact that invading one another's personal space had never been an issue for them. She knew that this was the moment to make her move if she didn't want to make the situation more awkward. She looked into the brown expectant eyes once more before breaching the distance between them and bringing her lips to Regina's.

The kiss was tentative at first, her lips moving against Regina's soft ones until they deepened the kiss, Regina pulling at her lower lip. Emma stood frozen, responding to the kiss, but not knowing what to do with her arms until Regina took Emma's hands in hers and laced their fingers.

They broke apart after a while and Emma was half expecting to get rejected despite everything both past and future Regina had said to her. She became hopeful when she saw Regina's expression: it was more surprised and pleased than anything else. Regina was smiling bashfully, not looking at her in the eye, her gaze on Emma's lips.

"So, past you told me that you want me but would never make the first move, so I should," Emma started carefully, breaking the silence.

Regina's smile faltered and her mouth hung open. "That traitorous…" she started angrily, but then seemed to remember the situation she was in. She shook her head and her expression softened. "Well, I suppose she knew what she was talking about," she continued and looked at Emma's mouth before closing the distance between them again and placing a firm kiss on her lips.

They kept kissing for a while, their hands still together, until Regina pulled away and moved a strand of Emma's hair behind her ear. The gesture made blush creep up on Emma's cheeks.

"As fun as time traveling with you has been, I think we ought to get back to our time," Regina reasoned as she pulled the locket from her pocket with her free hand.

Emma watched Regina fumble with the locket. A concentrated expression filled her features until she finally looked at Emma again and reached out to grab her hand.

"Don't let go, Emma. I think we are more than ready to go home," Regina said and smirked.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Emma replied and gripped the fingers of Regina's free hand.

She could feel the pull take her, and this time, they held hands until they were back on solid ground again. When Emma opened her eyes, she was standing next to Regina, still in the study, but hopefully in their time.

"Okay, are we back now?" she asked, Regina's hand still in hers. She looked at the clock on the mantel. It was about to strike five.

"I would think so," Regina contemplated.

They followed a scrunchy sound to the hallway and kitchen where they were met with the sight of a rather guilty-looking Henry. He was eating fruit loops, and the movement of his jaw slowed down as he took notice of his two mothers standing in the doorway.

"Hi, moms," he mumbled after swallowing. He looked like their son from their time, albeit more guilty than Emma was used to.

"Why are you looking so guilty, kid? Spill it," Emma said, deciding to use a direct approach.

"He looks guilty because he's not supposed to eat that and ruin his appetite for dinner," Regina scoffed, but didn't seem upset.

"I should be the one asking questions, though," Henry said, his expression changing from guilty to mischievous as he started cleaning the counter. "Neither of you picked up your phone. Why are you two holding hands?"

Emma looked down, and oddly enough, she was still holding hands with Regina. It had felt so natural until Henry had mentioned it, but now she could feel herself blush again. She let her hand slip from Regina's as she made her way towards Henry.

"Well, kid, it's a funny story…" she started, but realized something. "It's September 15th, right?" She wanted to make sure they were actually back in their time.

"Yeah, why? Wait… Did you travel in time?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Regina, I can tell him, right?"

"Yes. With good judgment, though. Spare him the details of what my past and future selves said to you, for example," she said as she walked to the fridge.

Emma didn't need to be told more explicitly what Regina meant. Some bits like Regina "wanting her" and Emma "having to make the first move" weren't necessary for anyone else to know. Neither was their kiss in Regina's study. She sat down on one of the kitchen stools next to Henry as she planned how to tell her story.

"So, you really traveled in time?" Henry asked. He was bubbling with excitement. "I can't believe I missed it! How did you even end up doing that? I thought it was nearly impossible."

Regina snorted, her back turned to them as she started taking dinner ingredients out of the fridge. "Your mother doesn't know what to do with her hands."

"Hey, I know exactly what to do with my hands, Regina. Trust me," she couldn't help replying, hoping that Henry wouldn't understand the double entendre of the statement. She could see that Regina did, her movements halting and her shoulders stiffening for a second before she closed the fridge and turned around.

"Well, I guess that remains to be seen," Regina replied sweetly as she moved closer to the kitchen island carrying some vegetables. She seemed as calm as ever apart from a faint blush rising on her neck.

Henry scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "Okay, I don't know what you're talking about. Can you just tell me about the time travel?" he asked impatiently, pulling Emma away from her very Regina-focused thoughts.

"Yeah, sure. Sorry, kid. As I was saying…"

She told Henry about their journey through time, leaving out some parts, such as Regina's very forward statements and the fact they were apparently together in the future. There were some things that needed to stay between Emma and Regina, and for now, their future relationship was one of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, I'm not sure what this was, kinda silly tbh, but I hope it disappoint y'all too much. Let me know if you liked it!
> 
> Thanks to my beta, Ari (amysntiagos/swanedmills on tumblr, go follow her) again!
> 
> I'm queenssaviour on tumblr and queenssavLour on twitter (it looks like QUEENSSAVlOUR, though, lol) in case anyone's interested! Thanks for reading!!


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